Retro Rides Gathering 2017
Each year I try and get more and more people to go to Retro Rides Gathering (RRG), which I’ve been attending religiously since 2013. Why? It’s unlike any other automotive event on the calendar… You can expect to see some of the rarest cars that were all the rage back in the day – it’s truly amazing to experience so many retro rides in one place. RRG is all about acceptance… Whatever your car is, it’s cool as long as it’s old! You’ll rarely come across any snobbery at the Gathering; people are there to hang out with friends, talk cars, enjoy some motorsport and party (If you’re there for the camping!). What really makes this event special to me is that motorsport element, the Shelsley Walsh hill climb, which is what a lot of static car shows lack. Well, not Retro Rides, if you get bored looking at cars all day, you can experience the smell of gasoline and burning rubber from the paddocks, or way up on the hill. With morning and afternoon sessions, pretty much anyone can take their car up the historic hill if you register early enough. There are some special ‘guest cars’ – mostly hardcore race cars which are thoroughly breathtaking, but the majority tend to be completely random, from classic Datsun 240Z’s to Ford KA’s! Variety is commonplace here, just check out my photo coverage below and see for yourself…
Dan Prior’s Nissan PS13
Marcin Kobylanski’s BMW E28 on BC Racing coilovers & ACS Type 1’s
Triple B Engineering attempt to get Pipey’s ’20B 3-rotor’ E-Type started…
Olly Green’s Datsun 240Z on Hayashi Racing Type CR’s
James Ibbotson’s Hillman Imp Super
Alex Brown’s BMW E36 on Brock B1’s
William Harris’ Austin Mini Clubman
Carbon Collective’s Porsche 964 on BBS LM’s
James Wade’s bagged Audi 80 B2 on BBS RF’s
George & Jack Heath’s BMW 1602 on hydraulic suspension & BBS RS’
Rob Palmer’s Mk3 Golf VR6 on Air Lift suspension & BBS RS’
Dave Walbrin’s Datsun 610 (w/SR20DET)
Monster Reading’s Mercedes-Benz W114 (w/OM606) on Air Lift suspension
Luke Underwood’s Toyota Hilux
Lily Carton’s Honda Civic EF sedan on Autostar Kanji’s
Wayne Greatrix’s BMW E30 M3 (w/LS swap) on OZ Racing wheels
Ben Daniel’s Vauxhall Firenza
Triple B Engineering continue to work on the E-Type…
Andy Ludlow’s Datsun 240Z
Shane Fala’s BMW E28 (w/M50)
Liam Doran’s Group B Pikes Peak Ford RS200
Ben Rees’ Toyota Celica GT on WORK Equip Spirit 11’s (front) & SSR Riverside R109’s (rear)
Jeda Motorsport’s Peugeout 205GTI
David Munt’s Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 (w/3.0 V6)
Gavin Jewkes’ MG BGT (w/Sebring V8 3.9 Efi)
Jack Hopkins’ Hillman Imp
Pipey McGraw’s Jaguar E-Type (w/Mazda 20B triple-rotor)
This year’s Retro Rides Gathering was an extra special one for us, as our good friend Pipey debuted his long awaited “3type” project, which you’ve just seen above. What is it you ask? Well, Pipey and Coltech Classics took a Luego Viento kit car chassis and a Jaguar Series 2, 2+2 shell and merged the two together, along with Porsche 930 arches. But Pipey being Pipey, didn’t want to go for the usual V8, and swapped this out for an NA bridge-port Mazda 20B built by Triple B Engineering in Northampton. Although the car wasn’t entirely finished, they got it to Shelsley Walsh and the guys at Triple B completed the engine wiring on site! It took them almost the entire weekend to get the motor running, but they finally succeeded. Although limited to just 3,000rpm and in desperate need of a map, Pipey managed to get one run up the hill, completely untested. I think this made a lot of people’s day, including mine! We’ll be taking a closer look at this once it is completed, so stay tuned. This car is the absolute definition of Retro Rides Gathering and the perfect example of why you need to get it on your calendar. I also hear they have a second show coming up next year at Goodwood Motor Circuit, keep your eyes peeled!
BONUS GALLERY
